<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Helping Make Amends by shanachie</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23500864">Helping Make Amends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanachie/pseuds/shanachie'>shanachie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Buck has feelings, Episode tag: 312, People make assumptions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:43:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23500864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanachie/pseuds/shanachie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddie is distraught over a fight with Christopher and Buck just wants to make it better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>119</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Helping Make Amends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spikedluv/gifts">Spikedluv</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So after this episode, spikedluv made a comment and it stuck with me... then I actually had some free time. And this happened. Hope you enjoy (and feel like I did it justice).</p><p>And it may or may not be part of a series that another story I have yet to write...</p><p>Special thanks to its_not_my_fault for the super quick beta!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What if I was being over protective?” Eddie asked. “I mean I yanked him out of school. I <i>yelled</i> at his teacher.”</p><p>Buck shrugged, looking at Eddie over his shoulder as he attempted to fix coffee for them both. It really shouldn’t be this difficult to fix the cups, but the two men were on hour twenty of their twenty-four-hour shift. Normally they’d both be sacked out in the bunkroom at this hour, but the team had just returned from a call and neither one of them felt like going to sleep.</p><p>“Did I do the wrong thing, Buck?” Eddie asked.</p><p>“Did you… no, man,” Buck answered, carrying the cups over to the table. “Christopher… he could have been seriously hurt.”</p><p>“But he wasn’t.” Eddie accepted one of the cups from Buck and took a sip, wincing a little as he scalded his tongue.</p><p>“Look don’t second guess yourself,” Buck said, unusually insightful for a moment. “Christopher will forgive you.”</p><p>Eddie sighed, running a hand through his hair. “And then? When we got home? I had to tell Christopher maybe he couldn’t do everything he wants to.”</p><p>Buck opened his mouth to answer that, but was cut off by the fire bell. “Christopher will forgive you,” Buck repeated as they both ran for the stairs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Their conversation was still on Buck’s mind when he was driving home later that day. He had hated listening to Eddie beat himself up over his reaction to Christopher’s adventure. While he knew Eddie was only trying to keep Christopher safe (and after the tsunami, he absolutely got keeping Christopher safe), he also understood that Christopher was probably mad at his father.</p><p>As he sat at the traffic light, he made a decision. “Hey, Siri,” he said, “call Carla.”</p><p>A minute later, the cheerful home-health aide’s voice rang through his Jeep. “Buckaroo! Please tell me nothing’s wrong with Christopher or Eddie! Or you!”</p><p>“No, no,” Buck was quick to assure her. “Or at least as far as I know, they’re fine. Did you hear about Christopher and the skateboard?”</p><p>“I did. From both of them.”</p><p>“Are you interested in helping me try to make it up to Christopher?” he asked.</p><p>“What’s your plan?” Carla’s voice dropped into a conspiratorial tone.</p><p>Buck grinned, knowing he now had a partner in crime and began explaining it.</p><p>An hour later, Buck was walking through a local hardware store. He really should have headed home to get some sleep, but he was too excited about his idea. While he got the framing, Carla was working on a vest for Christopher.</p><p>Satisfied with his purchases, Buck put them in his Jeep before heading a few stores down. He’d made his choice of hardware stores knowing this store was in the same area.</p><p>A bell jingled as he entered the shop and a voice called, “Be right with you.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Buck called back. He gravitated towards the skateboards as he waited.</p><p>“Those are a little small for you,” the voice commented a moment later.</p><p>Buck turned to face it, coming face to face with a pierced and tattooed young woman with a purple ponytail swinging behind her back. A few years ago, he would have flirted and maybe even made a pass at her, but right now his thoughts were all for the Diaz boys. “It’s not for me,” he admitted. Reaching forward and tapping on, he asked, “Would this work for an eight-year-old?”</p><p>The girl reached for a different one, pulling it off the wall. “This might be better. How tall is he?”</p><p>Buck measured up against his body. “About this high?” he suggested. “He has CP so he’s probably a little taller.”</p><p>The girl looked confused for a minute. “This might not be the best choice for him,” she said.</p><p>“Yeah. We’ve already dealt with the horrors of skateboarding,” Buck told her. “I’ve got an idea. I also need a helmet.”</p><p>“Dude, it’s your funeral when your wife finds out,” the girl commented, even as she turned to grab a helmet.</p><p>Buck could feel the blush creeping up his neck as he said, “Not gonna have a problem with a wife.”</p><p>The girl’s eyebrows went up. “Divorced?”</p><p>Buck’s blush deepened. “No. Um… it’s my partner’s kid.”</p><p>“Yeah, you aren’t scoring any points with this one. Prolly gonna be sleeping on the couch.” She led the way up towards the counter.</p><p>Buck choked out a laugh as he realized what she’d assumed. “My <i>work</i> partner. And I think I’m covered.”</p><p>She shrugged. “Like I said, your funeral.” She rang up the things he requested, adding a couple other things as Buck thought of them.</p><p>As he left the store, juggling the different packages, his phone rang.</p><p>Slipping everything to one arm, and almost dropping the board in the process, he finally answered the phone. “Yeah?” The low chuckle surprised him and he pulled the phone away from his ear to check that he was right. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” he demanded.</p><p>“Why aren’t you?” Eddie returned. “Carla called. Said you want to meet up when Christopher gets out of school?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Buck dumped everything in his Jeep. “Can you guys meet us at the park? By the skateboards?”</p><p>“On one condition,” Eddie responded. “You get some sleep. And why the skateboards?”</p><p>“Just trust me. And sure, I’ll sleep,” Buck promised, knowing if he didn’t get what he wanted completed, he wouldn’t be sleeping.</p><p>“You can’t lie,” Eddie told him. “Just… don’t waste your whole day on whatever you’ve got planned.”</p><p>“I’ll try not to,” Buck replied. “Is four good?”</p><p>“That’s fine.”</p><p>Carla was waiting by his door when Buck pulled up. “Buckaroo!” she called, waving as he got out of the car.</p><p>“Did you get it?” he asked as he hopped out of the Jeep and opened the back door to retrieve his packages.</p><p>Carla held up a black vest, shaking at him. “I told you I would. Do you have a plan for how to do this?”</p><p>“I’ve got it. Wanna give me a hand?”</p><p>“Now, sugar, do you actually think I’m going to help you carry all that?”</p><p>“Nope. Just help me put it together.”</p><p>“That I can do!”</p><p>It took them a couple of hours and a few false starts, but they finally got a workable frame. Buck hooted as he pushed it lightly and it rolled easily across the floor.</p><p>Carla nodded decisively. “What time are you supposed to meet Eddie and Christopher?”</p><p>“Four.” Buck glanced at the clock. “Which gives me about three hours to sleep.”</p><p>Carla shooed him. “Then off you go so you don’t fall asleep on your man.”</p><p>“He’s not my man, Carla,” Buck called as he ascended the stairs to the loft.</p><p>“That’s what <i>you</i> say,” Carla replied.</p><p>Buck shook his head, dropping onto the bed, and just barely remembering to set his alarm before he dropped off to sleep.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Buck jerked awake when his alarm went off. Groaning, he felt around for his phone and turned it off before rolling over. “Carla?” he called.</p><p>“Still here, Buck. Get up.”</p><p>Buck groaned again before hauling himself to his feet. “I’m up. I’ll be down in a minute.” He stumbled slightly as he made his way to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. Feeling a bit more awake now, he made his way downstairs.</p><p>“I thought you firefighters got up quick and were ready for action,” Carla commented as he paused on the last step.</p><p>“Not on duty, Carla.” He eyed the contraption that they’d… he’d… built before his nap. “That is not gonna fit in my Jeep.”</p><p>“We’ll take it apart,” she said decisively. It took them a few minutes, but they managed to break the rig down enough to get it into the back of the Jeep.</p><p>“Are they here yet?” Buck asked as he parked.</p><p>Carla checked his phone and didn’t see any new messages. “I don’t think so. You sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked as she watched Buck struggle to get the contraption out.</p><p>“Yup! Got it!” Buck was triumphant as he slid it back together. “We’re all good.”</p><p>“Get it secured. Did you make a plan for where to meet the Diazes?”</p><p>“By the skateboards,” Buck answered. He began pushing the contraption towards the park. “I hope Eddie isn’t mad.”</p><p>“He’s gonna love it,” Carla said as Buck set up in the middle of the path where the Diaz boys would see them.</p><p>Buck nodded, double-checking all the connections. And that the skateboard was straight. Taking a deep breath when he was done, he turned to check around the park before glancing at his watch. “I hope they didn’t get held up.”</p><p>Carla nudged him. “There they are.”</p><p>Buck looked in the direction Carla was pointing, in time to see Eddie bend down to talk to Christopher. A moment later, the little boy turned towards them, breaking out into a big grin.</p><p>“You did good, Buckaroo,” Carla murmured as the Diaz boys walked towards them. “Look at the smiles on their faces.”</p><p>Buck’s felt an answering smile stretch across his face. “I guess I did.”</p><p>When Eddie and Christopher reached them, Buck leaned down. “What do you think, Christopher?”</p><p>“It’s awesome!” the young boy responded.</p><p>Eddie ruffled Christopher’s hair, then studied the contraption. “Where did you get this?” he asked.</p><p>“I, well we, sorry Carla, built it,” Buck answered, a grin lighting his face, even as he felt it redden.</p><p>“This is great. Wow, Buck. Seriously.” Eddie looked it over some more then said, “Wanna try it, Christopher?”</p><p>“Yes!” the boy shouted.</p><p>Buck helped Eddie get Christopher situated in the harness, then they eat took a side. With Christopher whooping in exhilaration, they took off down the path with Carla taking video.</p><p>Buck looked at Eddie over Christopher’s head and realized that the loss of sleep wasn’t an issue. He was right where he was supposed to be.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>